The North Wind Star Region Governor's mansion was situated in the North Wind Star Region's main star system, upon an asteroid.
Within the star-port in the asteroid's orbit were gathered the command ships of the various star-system lords of the North Wind Star Region.
And when a single interstellar battlecruiser came slowly sailing into the star-port, very nearly all the starship captains present, along with the star-system lords, were staring at this interstellar warship.
There was near enough no one who didn't recognize this class of interstellar warship — its crest upon the hull above all.
The Owl Dragon crest!
A T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser.
The one seated aboard it was the Owl Dragon lord, the youngest imperial marquis!
For one must know, of those in the North Wind Star Region who held a marquis's title, there were no more than three — and at this moment, one of those was, precisely, this Marquis of Owl Dragon!
After this T3 Blizzard had docked at a star-port berth, there came, without cease, nobles sending calling-cards, wishing to pay a visit to this Marquis of Owl Dragon.
But they were all declined by Zhao Chen on the grounds of the press of affairs.
It wasn't until the very day the Governor's mansion convened the star-region meeting that at last someone saw the hatch of that T3 Blizzard open — and a man dressed in a black military greatcoat, bringing several women-soldiers with him, walked slowly down.
This young man's identity was, precisely, the Marquis of Owl Dragon!
Under the women-soldiers' escort, Zhao Chen took the space elevator, heading straight for the position where the Governor's mansion was.
Along this way, too, there were no small number of nobles wishing to strike up ties with Zhao Chen, but they were all frightened off by the sharp, keen gazes of Zhao Chen's women-soldiers.
Some 10-odd minutes later, Zhao Chen arrived at the doorway of the Governor's mansion's meeting hall.
"You wait for me here," Zhao Chen said.
A woman-soldier considerately took the military greatcoat from Zhao Chen; and Zhao Chen, dressed in a crisp, upright black military uniform, stepped into the meeting hall.
Within the meeting hall there had already gathered close to 100 lord-nobles.
Because each person's position was arranged in advance, Zhao Chen need only make his way to the seat where his own name-plate was written.
This was an arc-shaped meeting hall, low at the center and high at the outer edge.
The seats, too, were few at the center, many at the outer edge.
Zhao Chen's position was at the very foremost; there were three similar positions.
The other two were also North Wind Star Region marquises; and as for the one remaining, that was, of course, the North Wind Governor's position.
The very moment Zhao Chen sat down, he was fixed upon by everyone.
In the bare space of a few breaths, Zhao Chen felt dozens of gazes drifting across his person.
In no time at all, everyone had arrived in full.
The North Wind Governor, too, appeared at the scene; he first spoke some words for the occasion, then went straight into the main theme, conducting a summing-up of this hive-race disaster.
First he criticized and reprimanded the noble-lords whose showing in this hive-race disaster had been exceedingly poor, and announced that several lords would have their titles cancelled, or their titles lowered, and the star-system fiefs they originally possessed reduced.
At the same time, he made public notice of the several lords who'd had outstanding showings in this hive-race disaster — among whom he pointedly named Zhao Chen above all; for, after all, this one was the rising new star who'd gone to the Capital Star for the conferral.
And after that there was, besides, one segment: a moment of silent mourning for the noble-lords who'd valiantly fought and given their lives in this hive-race disaster, along with some fleet commanders.
Once all this had ended —
It came to the final segment everyone looked forward to: those vacated star systems — who was to take them over?
But what Zhao Chen didn't expect was that, within the list of star systems awaiting allocation, he'd, of all things, see an unexpected name.
The Morton System.
In the hive-race disaster, Zhao Chen had once led the Owl Dragon Legion in a great battle at the Morton System; it was, too, that very battle that had, at a single stroke, made Zhao Chen an imperial marquis.
At the time, the Morton System's lord, Count Morton, had given his life in the fighting to defend the system, and his son, Xu Yifan, had led the remaining Xu family fleet, together with Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon Legion, in defending the Morton gate — holding out all the way until the reinforcements arrived.
As for that young man named Xu Yifan, Zhao Chen had a deep impression of him.
"I announce: the Morton System and the Ellis System are to belong to Marquis North Wolf." the North Wind Governor read out.
Zhao Chen's brow knit up.
The Morton System and the Ellis System had both belonged to the Xu family — and there was, besides, a Joble System.
And the former two were the very weightiest, most crucial of the Xu family's — and now, of all things, they were suddenly being carved off and assigned to Marquis North Wolf?
This was too strange.
System mission "The Fall of the Xu Family" triggered.
Mission difficulty: B-rank.
Mission reward: 20 task points and 10,000 System points.
Mission requirement: help the Xu family keep the Morton System and the Ellis System.
At this very moment, Marquis North Wolf, sitting directly opposite Zhao Chen, rose to his feet, and, smiling, walked toward the North Wind Governor at the center; he was to take over, from the North Wind Governor's hand, the authority-token symbolizing the Morton System and the Ellis System.
And at this point, among the lord-seats to the rear, Xu Yifan's two hands were clenched tight; he lowered his head, the rims of his eyes red and swollen, forcibly holding down the grief and indignation within.
*I'm sorry…
Father, I'm sorry…
Yifan is useless — I've failed to keep our Xu family's estate.*
"Wait — I have a doubt about this reward."
It was just at this point that a voice suddenly rang out.
It made the whole meeting hall fall quiet.
The North Wind Governor looked in puzzlement toward that lad, not knowing what business this lad was suddenly up to now.
Marquis North Wolf looked with an unkind gaze at that rumored-of Marquis of Owl Dragon — what did this fellow mean to do?
"Lord Governor, by my understanding, the original lord of these two, the Morton System and the Ellis System — Count Xu of the Xu family — fought valiantly in the hive-race disaster, and gave his life for his country. Why, then, are their family's star systems now to be parceled out to another?" Zhao Chen rose to his feet and inquired in earnest.
The North Wind Governor answered, "This is the intent of the Xu family's heir. He holds that the Xu family failed to guard its own star-system fiefs well, and that he, at present, lacks besides the ability to administer three fiefs at once. Adding to that, after he inherited the title, he has only a viscount's title left, and ought not to possess three star-system fiefs. And so, he himself gives up the jurisdiction over these two star systems."
Gives them up himself?
Zhao Chen didn't believe that that fellow who'd defended the Morton gate to the death would give up his own family's fief.
"Xu Yifan — if you're a man, stand out here for me." Zhao Chen turned his head to look at the assembled lords behind him.
"The star systems your father guarded with his very life — you now just hand them over, just like that? Before, I respected you as a real man; but if you tell me this is truly your own idea — then I look down on you!"
"Owl Dragon lord — just what exactly is it you mean to do?" Marquis North Wolf knit his brows, pressing down his anger as he asked.
"I wasn't speaking to you." Zhao Chen shot a glance at Marquis North Wolf, and then looked again toward the lord-seats.
"Xu Yifan — do you not even have the courage to stand out? Very well, then; I'll just take it that that man of the Xu family died in the Morton gate battle."
Having said this, Zhao Chen made ready to sit down.
If it were such a spineless good-for-nothing, then he wasn't worth Zhao Chen's stepping forth to help.
"Marquis Zhao, I… I'm here." A somewhat trembling, and faint, voice rang out.
Xu Yifan, the rims of his eyes red and swollen, clenched both fists tight and rose to his feet.